Click this link if you cannot read the issue below: Designfax - Tech for OEM Design Engineers
June 07, 2016Volume 12 Issue 21


Image - ID/OD Retaining Ring Lock
ID/OD Retaining Ring Lock
Spirolox Retaining Rings can operate in an internal and external groove at the same time. Install the ring in one groove and then compress the ring with the mating component into the second groove. When the grooves meet, the ring snaps into place creating a low-cost, hidden, high-strength, tamper-proof rotating joint. Over 6,000 rings are stocked from 1/4" to 16" diameters in carbon and stainless steel, customs up to 120".

Click here to learn more.


In this issue of Designfax

  • No GPS? Military making new ways to find way home
  • Application Note: Auditing robotic prosthetics
  • Wings: Graphene de-icer coating does double duty
  • Wheels: Custom Russian choppers use in-house CNC
  • Mike Likes: ABCs of gears and more
  • Engineer's Toolbox: Source of annoying golf club clang
  • Go for the gold: High-frequency interconnection
  • Robotics: Modular kit for low-cost automation
  • Seals: Gaskets with EMI shielding
  • Auto: Lean-and-mean CANopen motor controllers
  • Motion: High-dynamic linear nanopositioners
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • Robots quadruple injection molding production
    • What is Electroforming? How does it actually work?
  • Most Popular Last Issue
    • World record set in solar cell efficiency
    • Wheels: Carbon-fiber wheels on Ford GT supercar
    • Can your rooftop handle solar panels?
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion
    Cover Image: BOX39 designs in the cool factor for motorcycles in Russia

News

New concept turns battery technology upside down

What's a million-mile Toyota Tundra worth?

Frivolous or better than putting a soldier in harm's way? Tethered drone-in-a-box gets U.S. military evaluation

Sandia dial-a-fire test complex ignites huge blazes



Image - New 10-mm Motor Doubles Output Torque
New 10-mm Motor Doubles Output Torque
MICROMO launches the next generation of small DC motors: the 1024 SR series from FAULHABER. This coreless micro motor features a 10-mm diameter and offers high performance with small dimensions and low weight, making it ideal for high-demand medical applications and portable devices. Combined with a gearhead, its output torque can achieve 300 mNm, twice that of similar products. A superior torque/speed ratio means the motor can handle varying loads at reduced speed variations.

Click here to learn more.


Feature articles
No GPS? U.S. military listens to VLF radio signals to find way home
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is working to develop a back-up system to be used by service members in the event that access to the Global Positioning System, or GPS, is denied to them by adversaries. "We're focusing on naval surface and aviation ... and it's very applicable to Army helicopters," said Lin Haas, DARPA's Strategic Technology Office.
Read the full article.
Image -
This pocket-size quick reference guide will help you identify the right materials for your next 3D-printing project.


Image - Application Note: Auditing robotic prosthetics
Application Note: Auditing robotic prosthetics
With advancements in prosthetics allowing fine motor control driven by a patient's nervous systems, the use of miniature load cells placed at grip points helps observe a wide variety of operating conditions the patient requires from their prosthetic every day. Sensor specialist FUTEK runs through the basic setup.
Read the full article.

Image - Wings: Graphene de-icer coating does double duty
Wings: Graphene de-icer coating does double duty
Rice University scientists have advanced their graphene-based de-icer to serve a dual purpose. The new material still melts ice from wings and wires when conditions get too cold. But if the air is above 7 deg F, ice won't form at all.
Read the full article.

Image - Piezo Mechanisms: Speed, Precision, Stability
Piezo Mechanisms: Speed, Precision, Stability
Piezo mechanisms provide high force, sub-millisecond responsiveness and excellent position stability. Flexure actuators are faster than magnetic drives and ideal for fast valve actuation, precision optical alignment, and nanopositioning applications.

LEARN about piezo nanopositioning mechanisms >

READ the blog article >

CONTACT a PI engineer now >


Image - Wheels: <br>Designing in the cool factor -- Custom Russian choppers use in-house CNC
Wheels:
Designing in the cool factor -- Custom Russian choppers use in-house CNC

How sweet it is when you've got the right tools. For Vladislav Belyakov, the CEO of BOX39 in St. Petersburg, Russia, the tools that often make all the difference are his in-house design and milling capabilities. Belyakov pushes design and construction edges from fantasy land into the real world by customizing a bike into something recognizably cool, like an amazing cartoon that you can ride.
Read the full article.

Image - Mike Likes: ABCs of gears and more
Mike Likes: ABCs of gears and more
KHK USA takes you on a journey through the history and applications of gears in two information-packed free volumes called "The ABCs of Gears." Part A is aimed at beginners, while part B moves on to intermediate fare, such as types of gears and tooth forms, heat treatment, surface treatment, production methods, etc. Another mid-level text called "Introduction to Gears" and an in-depth "Gear Technical Reference" are also available, chock full of materials information and calculation examples and tables. Best of all, there is no registration for any of these valuable no-cost PDF resources.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Engineer's Toolbox: <br>Researches hunt down source of annoying golf club clang
Engineer's Toolbox:
Researches hunt down source of annoying golf club clang

In 2007, a new type of golf club hit the market. The distribution of mass in the club head made it less likely to twist, making an off-center hit less likely to send the ball veering off course. It did have one drawback, though: a loud noise when it struck the ball, "like a cookie tray hitting the top of a car."
Read the full article.

Image - Go for the gold: Achieve high-frequency interconnection with bellows contacts
Go for the gold: Achieve high-frequency interconnection with bellows contacts
Servometer electrodeposited gold-plated (ASTM-N-488) bellows contacts create a reliable solution for electrical connections with less signal loss versus competing technologies. Servometer bellows contacts are a reliable alternative to spring-loaded type test pins in high-frequency test applications, and are designed to provide lifetime spring and force repeatability, in diameters as small as 0.020 in.
Request a sample.

Image - Robotics: Modular kit for low-cost automation
Robotics: Modular kit for low-cost automation
The Robolink D modular robotic kit from igus allows users to assemble custom robotic systems for a range of applications. Separate joints, which are motor-driven directly on the axis, are available in a range of installation sizes. A new, 6-axis arm with strain wave gearing (in two installation sizes) is also available, along with universal gripper adaptors. The gearing, available as an individual component or with integrated NEMA motor, consists of an outer ring gear and flexible, wear-resistant inner ring gear made from self-lubricating, wear-resistant iglide plastic. This solution offers minimal backlash and ensures a precise adjustment with incredible smoothness.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Seals: Gaskets with EMI shielding
Seals: Gaskets with EMI shielding
Supershield 1000 Series is a silicone or fluorosilicone elastomer filled with conductive metal particles, providing both high EMI shielding effectiveness and an environmental seal. This family of unique sealing solutions from Tech-Etch uses eight basic conducting media, and durometers are available from 40 to 80. Supershield can be supplied in a variety of sheet sizes or as standard or custom die-cut gaskets. Standard extrusions include round, hollow round, rectangular, solid "D," hollow "D," and channel.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Auto: Lean-and-mean CANopen motor controllers
Auto: Lean-and-mean CANopen motor controllers
The ability to maximize battery life and extend vehicle operations, essentially running "lean and mean," is the key to keeping a vehicle operating at peak performance. The DVC series motor controllers from Advanced Motion Controls are digital four-quadrant servo drives purpose-designed and built to operate today's modern mobile electric vehicular platforms. Providing high power from battery supplies, the DVC series features a compact design, IP65 construction, and multiple operating modes for controlling either permanent-magnet brushed or brushless motors in applications such as traction/propulsion, steering, and lifting.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Motion: High-dynamic linear nanopositioners
Motion: High-dynamic linear nanopositioners
Aerotech's QNPHD linear piezo nanopositioning stages provide the benefits of both a stage and actuator in one compact, high-stiffness package. With a direct-metrology, capacitive sensor feedback option, high resonant frequencies, and high load capacity, the QNPHD is ideal for a wide range of high-speed and high-precision applications such as scanning probe microscopy, disc-drive testing, and semiconductor wafer articulation.
Click here to learn more.

Most popular last issue

Image - The prism did it: New world record set in solar cell efficiency
The prism did it: New world record set in solar cell efficiency
A new solar cell configuration developed by engineers at the University of New South Wales in Australia has pushed sunlight-to-electricity conversion efficiency to 34.5 percent -- establishing a new world record for unfocused sunlight and nudging closer to the theoretical limits for such a device.
Read the full article.

Image - Wheels: Carbon-fiber wheels offered on Ford GT supercar
Wheels: Carbon-fiber wheels offered on Ford GT supercar
If you're going to lay down $400,000 for a new Ford GT, it's nice to know it comes with options. One impressive one, although it'll cost you, is carbon-fiber wheels to match the supercar's carbon-fiber exterior, which is pretty cool if that woven-fiber look is your thing when it comes to automotive styling and performance.
Read the full article.

Image - Can your rooftop handle solar panels? Sandia tests say 'probably so'
Can your rooftop handle solar panels? Sandia tests say 'probably so'
Most U.S. rooftops in good repair can take the weight of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. That's the conclusion of a three-year study by a research team led by Sandia National Laboratories. "There is a misperception in the building industry that existing residential rooftops lack the strength to carry the weight load of rooftop solar photovoltaic installations," said Sandia structural engineer Steve Dwyer. "Most existing well-built wooden rooftops can support PV system loads."
Read the full article.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
Universal Robots quadruples injection molding production
Dynamic Group, a Minnesota-based contract manufacturer, had difficulty staffing their injection molding production and wanted to make better use of their existing labor force. Three collaborative robot arms from Universal Robots have now taken over machine tending and kitting tasks resulting in improved product consistency and a 400% increase in production capacity for those applications.

Watch how this was done.
View the full range of collaborative UR robots.
Locate a distributor in your area today.


Video Image
What is Electroforming? How does it actually work?
Electroplating may have been around for centuries but only Servometer® excels at manufacturing dynamic, convoluted bellows electroforms. Watch Servometer's five-step electroforming manufacturing process and learn how they are able to deliver electroformed components that feature extreme tolerances, complex geometries, lightweight construction, structural strength, and how they can be applied to a variety of applications.
Watch the video.

Video Image

New products

Electrical/Electronics
View Products…
Mechanical
View Products…
Motion
View Products…


Subscribe to DesignFax

For advertising opportunities contact:

John Holmes

jholmes@nelsonpub.com
(847) 364-7441

Dan Beck

danbeck58@gmail.com
(518) 852-9624

Questions or comments about the eMagazine or articles? Contact us at: Designfax

www.designfax.net
PO Box 424, Alto, MI 49302

webteam@designfax.net
Privacy Statement